ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman discusses various issues related to climate change with Rt. Hon Alok Sharma, COP 26 President Designate
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman met Rt. Hon Alok Sharma, the COP 26 President Designate, and discussed various issues related to climate change and specifically COP 26 here today.
The Finance Minister stated that India is among a few G20 countries on track towards UNFCCC and Paris Agreement goals and has taken decisive actions to tackle climate change. Smt. Sitharaman mentioned that the Government is taking concrete steps and at appreciable speed to meet its commitments on the target of 450GW of renewable energy by 2030. 100GW of this renewable energy had already been achieved, She added. Among other important initiatives, the extensive work done on Hydrogen Energy Mission was highlighted.
With regards to ongoing discussions on climate change in various fora, Smt. Sitharaman referring to the dialogue on climate justice spoke about the need to bring a sense of compassion towards the poor. The Finance Minister expressed hope that the commitment made by the developed countries to provide $100 billion per year to developing countries would be achieved and was optimistic about a positive outcome on the new collective goals on finance in COP 26.
Vice President's Secretariat
DG CSIR makes presentation to Vice President on Sewage and Air Surveillance System to detect COVID-19
The Vice President also briefed about activities undertaken by various CSIR labs
DG suggests setting up of the system in Indian Parliament
Vice President assures to discuss it with Lok Sabha Speaker and the Government
A presentation suggesting the setting up of sewage and air surveillance system in the Indian Parliament to find the prevalence of COVID-19 was made to the Vice President and Chairman, Rajya Sabha today by the Director-General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research , Dr. Shekhar C Mande.
Dr.Mande was accompanied by Dr. Rakesh Mishra, Director, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology , Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, Director, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology , Dr. Venkata Mohan, IICT and Dr. Atya Kapley from NEERI, Nagpur.
Dr. Mande also briefed the Vice President about the activities undertaken by various laboratories of CSIR.
The CSIR DG informed the Vice President that sewage surveillance provides qualitative as well as quantitative estimate of the number of people infected in a population and could be used to understand the progression of COVID-19 even when mass scales tests for individuals are not possible. It is a measure to comprehensively monitor the prevalence of the disease in communities in real time.
Elaborating on the relevance of sewage surveillance, Dr. Mande pointed out that COVID-19 patients shed SAR-CoV- 2 in stools. Apart from symptomatic individuals, asymptomatic people also shed the virus in their stools.
Presenting data of the sewage surveillance carried out to find the trend of infection in Hyderabad, Prayagraj , Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Puducherry and Chennai, he said it provides an unbiased estimate of numbers since the sampling is not done at individual level. On the other hand, the numbers obtained by regular testing depend on the number of individuals tested.
Dr. Mande said that sewage surveillance of COVID-19 would be relevant not only to understand the present epidemiology of the disease but would be an indispensable tool for early and easier detection of future COVID-19 outbreaks.
He also suggested setting up air sampling system to monitor viral particles and potential infectivity threat.
The Vice President complimented the scientists for their work and assured the delegation that he would discuss the issue with the Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Om Birla and the Government.
Prime Minister's Office
PM flags off Vande Bharat Express from Una in Himachal Pradesh to New Delhi
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off the inaugural run of the new Vande Bharat Express from Amb Andaura, Una to New Delhi, today.
The Prime Minister inspected the train coaches of the Vande Bharat Express and took stock of the onboard facilities. Shri Modi also inspected the control centre of the locomotive engine of Vande Bharat Express. He also inspected Una railway station.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Shri Jai Ram Thakur, Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Union Minister of Railways, Shri Ashvini Vaishnaw and Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur when he arrived at Amb Andaura Railway Station in Una district of Himachal Pradesh.
The introduction of the train will help boost tourism in the region and provide a comfortable and faster mode of travel. The travel time from Una to New Delhi will be reduced by two hours. Running from Amb Andaura to New Delhi, it will be the fourth Vande Bharat train to be introduced in the country and is an advanced version compared to the earlier ones, being much lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration. Vande Bharat 2.0 is equipped with more advancements and improved features such as reaching a speed of 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 52 seconds, and a maximum speed of up to 180 kilometres per hour. The improved Vande Bharat Express will weigh 392 tons when compared to the previous version of 430 tons. It will also have a Wi-Fi content on-demand facility. Every coach has 32” screens providing passenger information and infotainment compared to 24” in the previous version. Vande Bharat Express will also be environmentally friendly as the ACs will be 15 per cent more energy efficient. With dust-free clean air cooling of the traction motor, travel will become more comfortable. A side recliner seat facility provided only to Executive Class passengers earlier will now be made available for all classes. Executive Coaches have the added feature of 180-degree rotating seats
In the new design of Vande Bharat Express, a photo-catalytic ultraviolet air purification system is installed in the Roof-Mounted Package Unit  for air purification. As recommended by Central Scientific Instruments Organisation , Chandigarh, this system is designed and installed on both ends of RMPU to filter and clean the air free from germs, bacteria, viruses etc. coming through fresh air and return air.
The Vande Bharat Express 2.0 offers a myriad of superior and aircraft-like travelling experiences. It is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System - KAVACH.
Ministry of Communications
Postal Department issues notice on updating Customs data of Articles containing goods
Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, has issued a Public Notice on Updating Customs data of Articles containing goods.
The notice states , “ As per rule 47 of Post Office Guide Part 2 and other relevant rules, it is mandatory that all postal articles including ordinary articles containing goods meant for delivery to foreign destinations are affixed with correct and complete relevant custom declaration forms. These forms include details of sender and recipient along with descriptions of the contents of the article.”
Department of Posts reiterated for information of customer/ public that in the absence of correct and complete Custom Declaration forms , such articles will not be processed and will be returned to the sender as per departmental rules.
Information of CN forms and other details/ guidelines are available at https://www.indiapost.gov.in/MBE/Pages/Content/MoreInfo.aspx#Custom_forms_and_Regulations
Ministry of Textiles
138 clusters adopted and developed in last three years by ensuring self-sustenance of the SHG/artisans
1,75,208 beneficiaries covered under Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana
Under Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana, the Government has taken initiative for adoption of viable craft clusters across the country and provision of need based interventions like design & technology upgradation, marketing platforms, distribution of tool-kits, welfare programmes, seminar and awareness camps. Total 138 clusters have been adopted and developed in last three years by ensuring self-sustenance of the SHG/artisans of these clusters including Gujarat State. State wise number of beneficiaries covered under AHVY during the last three years is enclosed in Annexure-I.
The evaluations have been done across the country to assess the cluster activities. As per recommendation of the evaluation report, Govt. organized 670 chaupals/shivirs all over the country for providing aadhar link pahchan card, facilitating the artisans through MUDRA loan and for onboarding the artisans on the Government c-Marketing  portal and making them aware of the e-commerce market. Further, the revised Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana Scheme considering the recommendation of Evaluation Report envisages taking up more viable craft clusters across the country covering SC, ST, Women, specially abled, tourism and export potential clusters. The Govt. is in the mode of forming producer companies now in various craft clusters across the country in view of increasing entrepreneurship and income of the artisans.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Textiles Smt. Darshana Jardosh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
ANNEXURE-I
TOTAL NUMBER OF DIRECT BENEFICIARIES UNDER AHVY SCHEME

|
|
Sr. No.
|
|
State
|
|
Total Beneficiary
|
|
1
|
|
A & N Islands
|
|
1,360
|
|
2
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
|
5,546
|
|
3
|
|
Arunachal Pradesh
|
|
1,230
|
|
4
|
|
Assam
|
|
11,020
|
|
5
|
|
Bihar
|
|
4,386
|
|
6
|
|
Chandigarh
|
|
60
|
|
7
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
|
1,150
|
|
8
|
|
Delhi
|
|
6,710
|
|
9
|
|
Goa
|
|
1,100
|
|
10
|
|
Gujarat
|
|
12,582
|
|
11
|
|
Haryana
|
|
1,440
|
|
12
|
|
Himachal Pradesh
|
|
2,306
|
|
13
|
|
Jammu and Kashmir
|
|
10,962
|
|
14
|
|
Jharkhand
|
|
2,850
|
|
15
|
|
Karnataka
|
|
4,880
|
|
16
|
|
Kerala
|
|
4,700
|
|
17
|
|
Ladakh
|
|
1,100
|
|
18
|
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
|
7,310
|
|
19
|
|
Maharashtra
|
|
8,960
|
|
20
|
|
Manipur
|
|
8,596
|
|
21
|
|
Meghalaya
|
|
2,476
|
|
22
|
|
Mizoram
|
|
1,000
|
|
23
|
|
Nagaland
|
|
1,930
|
|
24
|
|
Odisha
|
|
5,666
|
|
25
|
|
Puducherry
|
|
2,120
|
|
26
|
|
Punjab
|
|
1,470
|
|
27
|
|
Rajasthan
|
|
9,022
|
|
28
|
|
Sikkim
|
|
1,260
|
|
29
|
|
Tamil Nadu
|
|
7,012
|
|
30
|
|
Telangana
|
|
2,780
|
|
31
|
|
Tripura
|
|
2,380
|
|
32
|
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
|
31,464
|
|
33
|
|
Uttarakhand
|
|
2,470
|
|
34
|
|
West Bengal
|
|
5,910
|
|
GRAND TOTAL
|
|
1,75,208
Ministry of Defence
Joint Air Exercise with Myanmar
A Table Top Exercise between the Indian Air Force  and the Myanmar Air Force  was conducted at Prayagraj on the theme of HADR. The objectives of the exercise include planning of HADR operation in a given scenario, learn best practices, executing mission during HADR disasters, understand Search and Rescue Mission procedures etc.
The exercise was conducted under the aegis of Headquarters Central Air Command, IAF. 20 member team of IAF participated in the exercise.
The expenditure incurred on the exercise was met almost entirely from the operational budget of the Services. The Air Forces of both countries were able to achieve the objectives of the laid down procedure.
The countries with which IAF have conducted exercises during the last three years and the current year include Singapore, USA, UAE, Thailand, Bangladesh, Oman, Israel, Russia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Malaysia, France, UK and Myanmar.
India and Myanmar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding  on defence cooperation on 29th July, 2019 in New Delhi for furtherance of India-Myanmar cooperation in the field of Defence.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Shripad Naik in a written reply to Dr Heena Gavit and others in Lok Sabha today.
ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy
(Visitor Counter : 1464
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
JNPT inaugurates two Mobile X-ray Scanners to enhance efficiency
: Mumbai, June 29, 2021
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust , India’s premier container port will have two Mobile X-ray Scanners at Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal & APM Terminal in Mumbai from today. This major technological push comes from a vision to enhance the port’s efficacy. The mobile scanners were inaugurated by JNPT Chairman Shri Sanjay Sethi and Principal Commissioner of Customs, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House, Shri U. Niranjan, in the presence of the stakeholders and trade representatives.
Three Mobile Container Scanners, one each for the three Terminals of JNPORT viz. JNPCT, DPWorld and APMT were procured through Indian Port Association and installed by Port at the total project cost of 101 Crores. Out of these three scanners, one Scanner was rolled out for operation on 30th March this year. In addition to this, JNPT is also installing one drive-through Container Scanner for Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Pvt. Ltd., at the total cost of Rs. 46.25 Crores. Presently, 75 percent work for this project is completed and it is expected to be operational by March, 2022.
Increasing efficiency at the ports, the new Mobile Container Scanner will scan up to 20 containers per hour, thereby helping the EXIM community move their goods faster. These mobile scanners will also help inspect the containers inside the Terminal premises, giving the security agencies an advantage to take appropriate action before the container is allowed to exit. This facility will benefit trade, as DPD containers can be allowed directly from the port after examining the same with the help of new mobile scanners. The scanning process will also be faster, ultimately saving time and cost for all the stakeholders.
Speaking on the launch, JNPT Chairman, Shri Sanjay Sethi said, “The newly inaugurated mobile x-ray scanner facility will help scan the containers inside the terminal premises; thus, security agencies will have the advantage of taking appropriate action before the container is allowed to exit. These scanners will help enhance our efficiency and considerably reduce import dwell time due to independent scanning facilities for each Terminal.” These measures will help the port be at par with technologically advanced global ports augmenting JNPT’s stature to be among the leading container ports in the world.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage surpasses 73.82Cr
Recovery Rate currently at 97.51%
28,591 New Cases reported in the last 24 hours
India's Active Caseload is 1.16% of Total Cases
Weekly Positivity Rate  less than 3% for last 79 days
With the administration of 72,86,883 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, country’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage surpassed the cumulative figure of 73.82Cr  as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 75,25,766 sessions.
The break-up of the cumulative figureas per the provisional report till 7 am today include:
|
|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
10363703
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
8587937
|
|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
18336456
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
13991469
|
|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
296771856
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
42838102
|
|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
142908025
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
62511101
|
|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
92721925
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
49176804
|
|
Total
|
|
73,82,07,378
The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country.
The recovery of 34,848 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients  to 3,24,09,345.
Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 97.51%.
Sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs continue the trend of less than 50,000 Daily New Cases that is being reported for 77 consecutive days now.
28,591 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
The Active Caseload is presently 3, 84, 921. Active cases presently constitute 1.16% of the country's total Positive Cases.
The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded. The last 24 hours saw a total of 15,30,125tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 54.18 Cr  cumulative tests.
While testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate at 2.17% remains less than 3% for the last 79 days now. The Daily Positivity rate reported to be1.87%. The daily Positivity rate has remained below3% for last 13 days and below 5% for 96 consecutive days now.
Ministry of Mines
Overall Mineral Production Increases by 6.8 % in March, 2023
Important Minerals Indicate Positive Growth in Production
The index of mineral production of mining and quarrying sector for the month of March, 2023  at 154.2, is 6.8% higher as compared to the level in the month of March, 2022. As per the provisional data of Indian Bureau of Mines , the cumulative growth for the period April- March, 2022-23 over the corresponding period of the previous year is 5.8 per cent.
Production level of important minerals in March, 2023 were: Coal 1078 lakh tonnes, Lignite 46 lakh tonnes, Natural gas  2890 million cu. m., Petroleum  25 lakh tonnes, Bauxite 2115 thousand tonnes, Chromite 555 thousand tonnes, Copper Concentrate 12 thousand tonnes , Gold 161 kg, Iron ore 281 lakh tonnes, Lead Concentrate 42 thousand tonnes, Manganese ore 311 thousand tonnes, Zinc Concentrate 181 thousand tonnes, Limestone 402 lakh tonnes, Phosphorite 220 thousand tonnes, Magnesite 11 thousand tonnes, and Diamond 3 carat.
Important minerals showing positive growth during March, 2023 over March, 2022 include: Copper Concentrate , Chromite , Phosphorite , Manganese Ore , Coal , Limestone , Lead Concentrate , Iron Ore , Bauxite , and Natural Gas  .
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Central Consumer Protection Authority established to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers; will function from Indian Institute of Public Administration premises
The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has come into force from 20th July, 2020. As provided in section 10 of the Act, the Central Consumer Protection Authority  has been established w.e.f. 24th July, 2020.
For operationalization of the CCPA, Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, Smt. Nidhi Khare has been assigned the charge of Chief Commissioner, Joint Secretary in the Department Shri Anupam Mishra as Commissioner, Director General, BIS Shri Pramod K Tiwari as Director General  and Director General, National Test House, Shri Vineet Mathur as Additional Director General  in the Central Consumer Protection Authority w.e.f. 29th July, 2020 to exercise the powers and discharge the functions under the Act.
Meanwhile, the CCPA will start functioning in the premises of IIPA. The support staff is being arranged from the Centre for Consumer Studies of The Indian Institute of Public Administration  and the National Consumer Helpline, which have been financially aided by the Department since 2007.
The objective of the Central Consumer Protection Authority  is to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class. It will be empowered to conduct investigations into violation of consumer rights and institute complaints / prosecution, order recall of unsafe goods and services, order discontinuation of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements, impose penalties on manufacturers/endorsers/publishers of misleading advertisements.
For giving effect to the provisions of the Act, the following rules have also been notified and made effective from 20th July, 2020:
- The Consumer Protection  Rules, 2020
- The Consumer Protection  Rules, 2020.
- The Consumer Protection  Rules, 2020.
- The Consumer Protection  Rules, 2020.
- The Consumer Protection  Model Rules, 2020.
- The Consumer Protection  Rules, 2020.
- The Consumer Protection  Rules, 2020. [effective from 23 July, 2020].
The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has also notified the following Regulations effective from 24th July, 2020:
- The Consumer Protection  Regulations, 2020.
- The Consumer Protection  Regulations, 2020.
- The Consumer Protection  Regulations, 2020.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Challenges in e-Commerce
e-commerce cuts across various sectors. Therefore the provisions of various laws such as Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, Information Technology Act, 2000, Competition Act, 2002, Companies Act, 2013, Consumer Protection Act, 2019 among others are attracted for regulating the sector.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology , Government of India has initiated the ‘Digital India’ program with the vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge-based economy by ensuring digital access, digital inclusion, digital empowerment and bridging the digital divide.
The Consumer Protection  Rules, 2020 contain a number of provisions including those regarding protection against cancellation charges by e-Commerce companies to safeguard the interest of the consumers in e-Commerce platform.
Government of India has taken substantial initiatives for promotion of e-Commerce, including through Digital India program. The programme supplements e-Commerce by way of various initiatives for providing opportunity to small retailers, manufacturers and Self Help Groups for greater outreach. Some of the key initiatives undertaken include Unified Payment Interface, Government E-Marketplace, etc.
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Parkash, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.